The Talk
by EchoRose480
Summary: In which Merlin is a decade younger than everyone else, and it's up to his friends to teach him the facts of life. No slash. Fluff!


A/N: Just an idea I had. Where Merlin is 13, and Arthur is the king a lot sooner than in the show. Just some cuteness and fun, and ignorant Merlin.

...

Arthur peered out over his knuckles, where his mouth rested on his folded hands, and his elbows on the desk in front of him. His eyes were calculating as he watched Merlin putter about his chambers, trying and failing to look like he was tidying. There were often moments like this, during the day. Where Arthur would be working on one thing or another, and Merlin would wander around pretending to be the good servant he wasn't, until, eventually, Arthur would start talking to him, and banter would ensue. Or, the king would order him (not ask him) to look over documents and offer any advice his convoluted mind could conjure up.

But Arthur had no interest for the stacks of miscellaneous parchment now laid out before him. His mind was currently working furiously to try and unravel the mystery of the boy before him.

Merlin was thirteen summers old, tall for his age, but extremely wiry. His head was topped with a haphazard mop of black hair that flopped over his deep blue eyes in place of where Arthur knew was a heavy, dark brow, and did nothing to hide his prominent cheekbones.

He wore a purple tunic that was too big for him, the long sleeves rolled up to the elbows, exposing thin, pale forearms. A worn brown neckerchief stood out a bit oddly in his dress, along with old boots and matching brown trousers. Merlin was never very well dressed, but he never seemed to mind it, so neither did Arthur. Merlin was practical young man. He spent none of his energy on frivolities, and what seemed to be most of it annoying Arthur. Not that the king particularly minded. Having a manservant nine years younger than him was an abnormality, indeed, but Merlin didn't act like he was thirteen. Around everyone, Arthur, Gwen, the knights, he fit in as if he were an adult, himself.

Of course, this didn't stop him from being obnoxious. Arthur had never met someone so completely petulant as he. Since the day he'd saved Arthur from the flying dagger, he'd given nothing but lip to his prince, and now king. It must have either been a testament to his bravery or his great stupidity. They had been on enough adventures together for Arthur to be convinced he held an abundance of both, but more so of the latter.

Truth was, with all of Merlin's irritating personality traits, Arthur couldn't stand the thought of having another servant. After having the cheeky young boy as his servant for a whole year, well, the prospect of having someone else just seemed so…boring. And, despite his egregious shortcomings, Merlin had somehow managed to make Arthur…_fond_ of him. The kings secretly considered him something of a friend. Which was ludicrous, of course, because he shouldn't be friends with a servant, let alone one that was a goodly number of years behind him in life. But, Merlin stood toe to toe with Arthur, and didn't act as though the king was his elder, or his better. He was disarmingly proud, and Arthur had to admire that. He had a very, very hard time thinking of Merlin as a thirteen year old.

Which is probably why he was watching the boy so intently as he wandered around the chamber. Merlin's face was scrunched up into a deep look of concentration, and something along the line of anxiety. Arthur hardly ever saw that look on his young friend's face…and it just seemed so out of place, so foreign there. Arthur couldn't help but feel a pit of dread forming in his stomach as he continued to build up courage for what he needed to ask.

They had been in the tavern the night before, them and all the knights, after a long day of training. And Gwaine, more than slightly drunk, had taken it upon himself to start making jokes. Terribly sexual jokes, in fact. Arthur had seen the confusion in Merlin's eyes, and heard the slight hesitation before he laughed. And now, the king had a terrible suspicion. And there was only one thought in his mind as he opened his mouth to speak:

Why me?

"Merlin?" Arthur asked. Merlin looked over his shoulder from where he was stoking the fire, and raised an eyebrow,

"Yeah," he acknowledged. Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times, very aware of the fact that he looked a bit like a stranded fish. When he didn't answer right away, Merlin shifted around on the balls of his feet, still crouched, and cocked his head quizzically at his master, "What is it?"

Arthur cleared his throat uncomfortably and began rubbing the palms of his hands up and down his thighs, trying hard to formulate some kind of way of putting things delicately.

Merlin noted his discomfort with an amused smirk, and his eyebrow climbed higher still,

"What, you need me to woo Gwen again, for you?" he said, voice dripping with derision. Arthur glared at him, and decided to throw delicate out the window,

"Merlin," he began again, crossing his arms over his chest, and leaning back in his chair, "Have you ever been given…the talk?"

Merlin's face visibly paled a fraction, and his throat bobbed painfully as his eyes met the floor,

"Umm," he said, "I…I don't know what you're talking about," Arthur frowned,

"I mean, you know, birds," he waved his hand vaguely, "bees. Has your mother ever…?" Merlin's look of confusion and fear grew. Arthur grimaced, "One of the men in your village…did they…?" he tried again, but his frown only deepened as Merlin began shaking his head. He then spun around to face the fire again, and began prodding it with the poker in random places, obviously wanting the conversation to be over. But it couldn't be. Arthur couldn't let him go on like this….he would end up humiliating himself, or getting hurt. What if someone took advantage of his ignorance? Why hadn't his mother ever told him anything?

Why had it fallen to Arthur to fix it?

Sighing, Arthur ran a hand down his face and stood up from his desk, noting how Merlin's shoulders tensed at the noise. Arthur approached him from behind and then placed a hand on one bony shoulder, grasping it firmly,

"Come on," he said, "We need to talk," As Arthur pulled gently, Merlin complied and they both walked over to his bed. Merlin hopped on and crossed his legs, leaning back against Arthur's arrangement of pillows. Arthur sat in front of him, one long leg dangling over the side of the mattress. Puffing out his cheeks, Arthur tried for a friendly smile, and rubbed his hands together.

"Okay, Merlin. So…there is this thing called…you see, when a man loves a woman…well, if there's a mutual…if you take two…," Arthur tried over and over again to somehow start explaining how this went. But Merlin's eyes had suddenly become incredibly large. He was staring at Arthur with a complete readiness, such _trust_. He had no idea what he was about to hear. He was hugging a pillow to his thin chest, his legs crossed pretzel like. He had never looked so much his age then he did there. Arthur brought one finger up, and drew in a breath, but then Merlin began chewing his lip, and he immediately deflated with an exasperated sigh and a hand to his temple.

"I'll be right back," he said suddenly, and dashed off the bed and out the door. He frantically searched the corridor for someone, anyone who could do this besides him. And then, his eyes alighted upon the solution.

"Gwaine!" he called. The knight was sauntering toward him with his hands folded behind his back, his long hair pulled back in a clasp to further display his cocky grin.

"Princess!" he greeted, and then yelped in protest as Arthur pulled him off balance with a rough tug, and then began dragging back to his chambers. He stopped outside the door, ignoring Gwaine's bewildered expression, and then explained everything in a fierce whisper,

"He doesn't know anything!" Arthur finished with a helpless wave of his arms. Gwaine looked more deeply amused than anything, and let out a bark of laughter.

"Don't worry, princess," he said, cracking his knuckles and then his neck as he tilted it side to side, "I've got this," he wiggled his arms out, and then jogged into the room with a jolly, "Merlin, my boy!" before closing the door behind him.

Suddenly feeling very uneasy, Arthur looked both ways down the hallway, making sure that no one had seen anything, and then began walking away.

It was only when he reached the end of the corridor that he realized he had made a huge mistake.

"What am I doing?!" he cried, rushing back to his room and thrusting the door open. He plowed inside and pointed an accusing finger at Gwaine, who looked like he had been talking animatedly for a few seconds, "You are not fit to do this!" Arthur yelled, then bounded forward and grabbed Gwaine by both shoulders, pulling him off the bed so that he toppled to the floor with an indignant squawk.

"Come on, Merlin," Arthur ordered, dragging his friend to his feet and then out of the room, "We're going to do this properly,"

Arthur ignored Gwaine's protests, and kept ignoring him even as he followed alongside them as they trekked down the corridor to an unknown destination.

Because Arthur didn't want to acknowledge that fact that he had almost pawned off his manservant's innocence to a vagabond knight.

…

Gwen felt a bright smile immediately split her face at the sight of Arthur, Merlin, and Gwaine walking out onto the training grounds, where she and a few other servants with extra time were watching the knights' friendly competition.

"Good morning," she said happily, curtsying to her king for decorum's sake. Arthur gave her a tight smile, and she felt her own fall off slightly,

"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing their somewhat strained faces for the first time. Gwaine also looked rather tickled, and Merlin was decidedly pale, with only a lost expression coloring his face. Arthur was holding Merlin's arm very tightly, and shifted his feet uncomfortably before leaning forward and whispering in Gwen's ear.

She held back a sound that could have either been a gasp of horror or a giggle, and then she looked back at the boy in question. He was gazing at her imploringly, obviously hoping for some kind of rescue. She smiled at him comfortingly, and then shot both Arthur and Gwaine glares that she hoped would leave them properly cowed,

"Brutes," she grumbled. They both blushed and stared at their boots, though Gwaine was still smiling slightly.

"Merlin," Gwen said, folding an arm across his shoulders and leading him away a few paces so they could talk in private, "Do you have any idea what it is they are trying to…teach you, here?" Merlin swallowed and glanced over at them for a moment, and then spoke without looking away,

"I…I'm not sure. I think a big part of my education must be missing," he gave her a tentative smile, and Gwen returned it, wishing that he could just stay ignorant forever. Seeing the silent plea in his eyes, she came to a conclusion. With her arm still around his shoulders, she turned back to Arthur and Gwaine and said,

"I'll do it," she said, but before the words were completely out of her mouth, she was bombarded with their complaints.

"No! I mean, uh, Guinevere," Arthur blustered, "You can't! You're a woman,"

Gwen flushed, and opened her mouth to say that she was Merlin's friend and that she was perfectly capable of explaining the facts of life to him, but Gwaine nodded in agreement,

"Princess is right, sweetheart," he said, "If a woman explains it to him…it'll just mess up his mind,"

Gwen sighed and slumped slightly. They were right. She had to concede.

"Very well," she agreed, "But who will do it then?"

Arthur began scratching his head sheepishly, while Gwaine looked around the field, a smile brightening his face,

"Elyan!" he called.

"No!" Elyan returned.

"Elyan," Arthur said testily, and the man sighed and hobbled over. He glared at Gwaine,

"What?" Gwaine took him aside, and they spoke quietly for a minute. Elyan shook his head vigorously,

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" he said, trying to run away. Gwaine wrestled him back though, even as he continued kicking the air, and plopped him in front of Merlin, who was starting to look somewhat angry. Elyan shook him off and readjusted his chainmail before looking into Merlin's eyes. He opened his mouth wide, face contorted in determination, and then immediately slackened all over,

"No," he repeated with absolute resolve, and then stalked back a ways whipping his head about. Arthur gave him a look that was something akin to sympathy, but offered no kind of comfort. Elyan continued to back up, and then his eyes lit up,

"Percival!"

Percival cocked an eyebrow in his direction, and then walked over, light on his feet despite his girth. He bowed to Arthur,

"Sire," he greeted. Arthur inclined his head. Elyan trotted towards him, looking immensely relieved that there was someone else there to do his job for him, and patted him on the arm,

"We have a quick job for you," he said. Percival crossed his arms and nodded, waiting for him to elaborate. Elyan put one hand on his hip, and pointed towards Merlin with the other,

"We need you to tell him what he needs to know about the…interactions, between men and women. Just the important stuff," he explained. Percival gave him a strange look, then looked back at Merlin, and his face softened. He smiled slightly, and then walked forward to kneel in front of the boy. The gesture only put him about a half a foot below him,

"Hey, Percival," Merlin said grumpily, running a hand through his hair with an exasperated air. Percival laughed, and placed a hand on the servant's shoulder, covering it completely,

"Be honest, be true. Trust her, and don't betray the trust she puts in you. Wait for the right one, and never forget to tell her that she's beautiful. Protect her with your life," Merlin nodded, completely enraptured. Everyone else groaned and slapped their foreheads, shoulders slumping in disappointment. Gwen just smiled,

"That was beautiful, Percival," she said. Percival smiled back at her, and then stood. Merlin peered around at everyone, having been uncomfortable with the attention he'd been getting and grinned hopefully,

"So, is that it?"

"No!" all the men, except for Percival, chorused at once. Merlin rolled his eyes and groaned,

"Well, you all obviously don't have what it takes to tell me…well, whatever it is you need to tell me. So, I suggest you find someone who can, this is just getting ridiculous,"

….

Leon jumped at the sudden sound of the door slamming open against the inner wall of the armory, and a booming voice,

"Leon!"

"Sire?" Leon answered, respectfully setting down the sword he had been sharpening, and giving the group that entered a welcoming smile, "You startled me, almost nicked myself," he stood from the barrel he'd been sitting on, and bowed deeply to his king, before inclining his head at Gwaine, Elyan, Percival, Lancelot, and Gwen. He turned to the young manservant in the middle and gave him a fond smile, "Hullo, Merlin," he greeted. Merlin flashed him a returning smile that was most definitely false and only lasted a split second. Leon furrowed his brow and sent Arthur a questioning look,

"How may I be of service, sire?" he asked. Arthur was holding Merlin's shirt collar, and ended up making him stumble as he leaned forward to whisper in Leon's ear.

Leon absorbed the new information with what he hoped was an impassive face. When Arthur finished and stepped back again, Leon looked back at Merlin, subconsciously taking note of his rumpled appearance, and youthful face which was twisted in an expression of extreme annoyance and bafflement.

Leon felt a small smile cross over his face, and he gestured Merlin over with a flick of his head.

They both sat down on a bench, and Leon began explaining.

…..

They all waited outside the armory for what couldn't have been more than twenty minutes, but what felt like more. Finally, after hearing nothing but the vague murmurings of the conversation inside, the door finally opened, and Merlin stepped outside.

He was paler than usual, his eyes were strangely haunted, flicking about as if fueled by the new amounts of information in his head. He looked like a man who had just returned from war.

"Merlin?" Arthur said cautiously. Merlin looked up at him, and then at all of them, and then back at Arthur,

"You're just a regular old coward, aren't you?" he said. Arthur didn't get angry, he just sniffed, lifted his gaze to the heavens and looked thoughtful for a moment. And then he nodded,

"Yep,"

...

A/N: So, tell me what you thought! Was it good? What did you guys think of young Merlin? I actually had a lot of fun writing him as being a lot younger than his friends, and now have their relationships kind of stuck in my head. So, yeah, once again, please Review! and tell me if you liked it. :D Would you guys like to see anymore of this "Merlin as a youngest brother" type deal? Let me know!


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